Vehicle manufacturers throw their weight behind standardized course to give auto technicians unique electrical skills

A new hands-on electric vehicle training program aimed at Canada’s collision repair industry officially launches June 1 at the CWB Centre of Innovation in Milton, Ont. 

The focus of the I-CAR Five-Day EV Hands-On Skills Development isn’t on repair, however, but instead on electrical safety for those working on electric vehicles. 

With large batteries from different OEMs using a variety of chemistries and running hundreds of volts of electricity, EVs and hybrids present their own set of concerns for collision repair.

Live electrical components

“When you get a vehicle at a shop, you have no idea if the electrical components are live, especially those in really bad shape,” says Stu Klein, the man who brought the I-CAR (Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) course to Canada. 

“You don’t know if this car is safe to touch. You don’t know if it’s safe to bring in the shop.”

Klein, vice-president of Collision Programs and executive director of I-CAR Canada at the Automotive Industries Association (AIA) of Canada, said the push to bring the course north of the border came directly from conversations with North American-based vehicle manufacturers. 

“The concern was there wasn’t a standardized EV training program,” he says.

European training standards

The course was developed in accordance with European EV training standards and built in close collaboration with OEMs, factors Klein said have helped drive interest. The course is already running in Chicago for the U.S. market, so it didn’t need much change for Canada. “Same vehicles, same repairs, same skills — almost everything translates to the Canadian market,” says Klein. 

In fact, the I-CAR course has already gained significant industry traction. 

Porsche Canada has mandated it for all its certified collision shops. Certified Collision Care (CCC), which manages collision repair training and certification programs on behalf of 13 OEMs across Canada, has made the I-CAR five-day course a baseline requirement for its Electric Vehicle Handling Qualification program (EVHQ).

Understanding safety protocols

The curriculum begins with foundational electronics training, where students learn to use diagnostic tools before progressing to a simulator cart, which replicates the major high-voltage components of an EV but operates on a 12-volt battery for safety. 

Students then move to working on real electric vehicles.

By the end of the course, technicians are expected to understand high-voltage safety protocols, how to assess whether a damaged vehicle is safe to enter the shop and how to properly power down a vehicle before work begins.

An open house celebrating the launch is scheduled for June 9 at the Milton facility. Registration is required.